Process of making medicinal soap



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN JOHNSTON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

PROCESS OF MAKING MEDICINAL SOAP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,938, dated June 22,1897.

Application filed February 3, 1892.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN JOHNSTON, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Process of Making MedicinalSoap, of which the following is a specification.

It is the object of my invention to provide an antiseptic soap or washfor cleansing and disinfecting the skin and removing disagreeable odorstherefrom and for washing and cleansing sores and diseased part-s.

Bot-h ether and bichlorid of mercury have been used as antiseptic washesfor cleansing sores and diseased parts, but while they are effective asantiseptics they do not possess the desirable cleansing properties forremoving impurities, and it is the object of my invention to combineether with alkali in the formation of a soap or wash possessing in ahigh degreeboth antiseptic and cleansing qualities, the product being anethereal ant-iseptic soap, which may be used either separately or incombination with bichlorid of mercury.

In carrying out my invention I dissolve a quantity of soap in ether andadd thereto a sufficient quantity of water to produce a liquidsaponaceous mixture of the required strength, to which may be added asmall quantity of essential oil, such as oil of lavenderflowers, toscent the liquid.

The following are the proportions which I have found in practice toproduce excellent results, but they may be varied without departing frommy invention: sulfuric ether, twenty-four fluid ounces; white castilesoap, sixteen avoirdupois ounces; Water, twentyfour fluid ounces; oil oflavender-flowers, one-fourth fluid ounce.

The soap is finely cut or grated and is placed in a bottle or jar withthe ether. The bottle is lightly corked and allowed to stand for abouttwenty-four hours. Nearly all the alkali will thenbe taken up by theether in solution. The water is then added and the mixture, after it hasbeen thoroughly shaken,

Serial No. 420,242. (No specimens.)

is allowed to stand for about twenty-four hours. The essential oil isthen added and the mixture is again shaken and the gases are allowed toescape. The mixture is then allowed. to settle for about four days topre cipitate the impurities of the soap, oil, and water. The mixture isthen ready for use and may be poured off and bottled. Distilled orboiled water should be used. It is also desirable that the temperatureof the room in which the processis being carried on should be maintainedbetween and Fahrenheit.

In using the soap the parts to which it is to be applied should first bewet with water and a small quantity of the soap should then be poured onor applied with a towel or cloth. If desired, a quantity of the soap maybe poured into a basin of water and may be used as a solution.

When it is desired to use bichlorid of mercury with the soap, thedesired quantity of the bichlorid is added to the solution. The mixturetakes up the bichlorid and holds it free in solution to the strength ofabout one to one thousand.

The quantity of the bichlorid of mercury to be added is governed by thejudgment of the surgeon, but in ordinary cases it will be foundsatisfactory to employ a solution of bichlorid of mercury of aboutdouble the strength that would be used with water alone and to add anequal quantity of the ethereal soap.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new,'and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

The herein-described process of making a liquid ethereal antisepticsoap, which consists in first dissolving a quantity of soap in sulfuricether, allowing the mixture to stand and then adding thereto a quantityof water, substantially as described.

JOHN JOHNSTON.

Witnesses:

M. F. VAN BUREN, D. F. SWIsHER.

